


The Wisdom of Will

by ForsakenAngel88, WinterAndLittleBrunettes



Series: The Triforce [3]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2020-07-27 10:26:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20044465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForsakenAngel88/pseuds/ForsakenAngel88, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterAndLittleBrunettes/pseuds/WinterAndLittleBrunettes
Summary: In a land plagued by the Calamity, a prince and a hero fight to beat back the beast to restore their home to its former glory.The story of a prince and his knight fighting evil itself to see each other again, to say all that needs to be said.





	1. Prologue: Sealed Away in the Sanctum

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the second instalment of _The Triforce Series_ my loves! I am super excited to share this with you, and am very excited to work with Susan ([@forsakenangel88-art](https://forsakenangel88-art.tumblr.com/)) to bring my story to life!
> 
> I am very fortunate that Susan agreed to illustrate pieces from each chapter of this story. Honestly, I can't believe she's as big a fan of my work as she is! [_she might even like this series more than I do, and I love her for it <3_] I'll always post the link back to the post(s) she shares of the art on social media, so please remember to give it some love too, guys!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the sequel to [The Power of Faith](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11402112?view_full_work=true)! <3

# Prologue: Sealed Away in the Sanctum

The flow of time is always cruel. Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it.

Time was of the essence. Time was nothing. Everything. Meaningless. Precious. It was pressing on, surely, but he couldn’t feel its effects anymore. Here, he was beyond such things.

There were no gods or goddesses here. Not in this desolate plane of existence. Lance was beyond their reach now, and his only savour was himself.

His world was nothing. Totally bleak darkness, unflinching, lingering at the edges of his light.

The light he’d been sustaining for longer than he knew. For less time than he realized. In truth, he had no idea how long it’d been. A day? Year? Decade? How long has it been since he trapped himself in this place, with but a single purpose? All he knew was that he had to be patient, and keep holding on. For however long it took.

He could feel it. _ Him. _ Clawing at the frayed edges of his power, his sanity. Relentless and full of hate, hostility, calamity, trying to snuff out the light holding him back. The onslaught was constant, incessantly draining his energy.

But Lance just breathed in a slow, calming breath and thought of purple eyes hidden between strands of long black hair. 

Of rough, leather-bound hands, quick to touch his shoulder and soothe him.

The quick flash of white teeth he’d get when he flashed him a smirk.

The strong set of his shoulders that held the weight of the world. How blue his tunic looked against pale skin. His kindness, his determination, his valour.

_ Keith. _

The thought of his knight, of the man he’d fallen in love with, was the only thing keeping him going. There was nothing else to live for. Not even for himself. No. He had to live for _ Keith. _ He deserved that much. He deserved the world, and Lance was trying to give it to him.

Or, at least trying to make sure there was a world for him to wake up in.

No matter how long it took, Lance would keep fighting. Keep the darkness at bay, and keep them both trapped in the bleak clutches of this place.

All so Keith would have a chance.

* * *

Time passed, only recognizable to Lance by the amount of times he was pulled from thought to push his light further out, keep the Calamity at bay. He knew it passed because as time went on, the beast got stronger, and it took more and more effort, more thought towards his loved ones to keep him at bay.

His thoughts constantly went to his friends. Hunk. Allura. Shiro. Pidge. His fleeting memories were all he had left of them now. They deserved so much more than they got, and he desperately wished he had more time with them. To love and appreciate them, and simply _ be _ in their presence one last time. To hear Hunk’s rambunctious laugh. To feel Allura’s warm hugs. To witness Shiro’s quiet determination. To receive Pidge’s sincere love.

But he couldn’t. All he had now were his thoughts, thoughts that helped him keep the Calamity at bay.

Despite everything, keep him at bay he did. He had to.

For Keith.

In his lowest moments, he thought of Keith. No matter how much time passed, his dear knight never faded from his mind’s eye. Every time his eyes slipped closed, to rest or meditate or whatever he did here, Keith was always the first thing he saw. Caring for his horses, training, giggling with Keely, swinging Pidge around, looking at him with that small smile that made his insides flutter--

Something was happening. Lance’s eyes snapped open, looking around frantically for the source of this feeling, but nothing was amiss. His light was still shining bright around him, and even the Calamity seemed to be taking a bit of a break from harassing him.

The flutter in his chest strengthened, and out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a small light in the darkness. Tiny, but it wasn’t _ his _ light. It was something else.

He squinted, trying to see into the center of the light, see what was causing it. But it was too small, and too far away to see properly. But still, there was _ something _ out there.

Suddenly, he realized it wasn’t his chest that was fluttering; it was his heart. Renewed energy flowed through his veins, and he perked up, looking out towards the light with exuberance and hope.

“_Keith_,” he whispered. As if in response to his voice, the light pulsed and flickered, glowing a little bigger and brighter than it had moments before. A startled laugh escaped him, and for the first time in forever, his lips spread into a grin. “Keith!”

The Calamity took notice, and with renewed vigour, he attacked the edges of the light barrier, frantically searching for any cracks. But Lance held firm, feeling more optimistic and joyous than he had his entire time here.

Because Keith was _ finally _ waking up.

“_Open your eyes._”


	2. 1. The Great Plateau

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hundred years have passed, and Keith finally awakens in the Shrine of Resurrection. He's not alone on the plateau, and after unlocking each of the four shrines, the old man finally reveals what happened a hundred years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I hope that things are treating you well, despite the world-wide pandemic going on!! Things have certainly been crazy for me, but... I finally buckled down and finished this first chapter of WoW! It's been in the works since November of 2017 (_crazy, right?_), so believe me when I say I am happy to get it done!
> 
> Thing is, as the true start of this story from Keith's point of view, I wanted to make sure everything was perfect. This shouldn't shock you, knowing me right? Heh. Well, there's a lot I had to focus on getting just right in this, and I also had to balance the thin line of doing enough to get the story across the way I wanted to without going into detail about _everything_ on the plateau, which proved to be quite difficult. I think I did an okay job of it, though? You'll have to let me know yourselves once you've read it.
> 
> In the meantime, enjoy the first chapter of WoW! 25 pages of new content... I hope it was worth the wait <3

# 1\. The Great Plateau

A tiny gold light was the first thing he saw.

The pale dot of light overtook his dark world, slowly growing in intensity until he could hardly see anything other than the bright gold shadow of it. It was so overpowering that it took over both his sight and hearing, a loud buzzing slowly filling the silence.

Suddenly, it wasn’t just buzzing anymore. There was something else, muffled behind the intensity of the light, but _ what _ he couldn’t decide.

“...pen y… es...” A soft voice flickered in and out of his senses, and he strained to listen for it again. “Open your eyes,” it whispered.

He couldn’t determine why, but he followed the voice’s instructions without hesitation, and tried to pry open his tired eyelids. Only a tiny sliver of blue light was visible, until he managed to blink into focus. “Open your eyes,” the voice urged again.

The… _ Thing _ above him was pulsing, glowing soft blue in the various dots that connected to even more various lines. It hummed softly, and he realized that the buzzing he heard before was coming from the thing above him. He’d never seen anything like it.

“Wake up, Keith.” The voice continued, softly urging him to follow its words. Keith blinked again, trying to gather his bearings. His chest felt warm in the absence of glowing water that was slowly receding, draining from whatever he was lying in. The water left him feeling chilled as it slowly ebbed away from his body. Something light and flowy was tickling his ears, his cheeks and his neck as the water disappeared, but he paid it no serious mind. It felt nice, feeling something brush against his skin. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever felt something like it before.

[[karovie's art](https://karoviesart.tumblr.com/post/615777291329470464/soon-the-first-chapter-of-wisdom-of-will-by)]

He tried moving his fingers, trying to feel where they were, but his entire body felt heavy, as if a giant weight was pressing him down onto the surface he laid prone upon. His body felt as though it was paralyzed, from his head all the way down to his toes. It was an odd sensation, but not a completely unwelcome one. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt as though it was better this way, or, at least it used to be. It wasn’t until the cool water drained away that he felt like he regained feeling in his limbs.

His fingers rubbed against each other, feeling the wrinkled texture of each pad and the sensations it gave. He wiggled his toes next, even though the motion felt odd, almost silly in a way he couldn’t really give a name to. It was just like he had a feeling that something like that would be funny, for whatever reason. His arms and legs were heavy, and moving them even slightly hurt. He quickly gave up on that, and tried to get a better look at his surroundings.

He tried to lift his head up to look around, but his head felt like a massive weight on his shoulders, as if it were weighed down by the world itself. Water still clung to his hair, an extra weight he really didn’t need.

With a loud groan and a herculean amount of effort, he sat upright, but immediately had to hunch over. His elbows pressed harshly into his knees while he fought to catch his breath. After a few minutes, when his breathing levelled out to something that felt a little more natural, he lifted his head up to survey the room he was in. It appeared massive, even compared to the surface he was sitting on. He felt as though he scarcely took up any of its space. He had no recollection of how he got here, or of _ anything, _ really. With a shaky hand, he reached up to push his hair out of his eyes, before peering out and over the side of the container, towards the ground. It didn’t look like it was too far down, and he needed some answers.

He scooched to the side of the container, and threw his still wobbly legs over to stand. The ground was designed unevenly just outside of the container, providing awkward footing for his damp feet to stand upon. He stood up as straight as he could, but when his foot started to waver, he reached back to grasp the edge of his previous housing tightly.

Water steadily dripped down his body as Keith tried to catch his breath. He took a moment to peer down at himself, trying to piece everything together. Water droplets still clung to his naked body, and his dark hair swung forwards, sending more water droplets running down his torso. There were a multitude of pale lines littering his entire body, some bigger than others, like the pale mark marring his right shoulder and the large scar in the center of his chest. He had no memory of receiving them, so, where did they come from?

He glanced up towards the ceiling, and blinked up in awe at the sight above him. Above the bed that he was sleeping in for who knows how long was an entire network of veins leading into the back of the structure. Each vein pulsed with vibrant blue light, branching out over the entire center of the room, twisting and connecting around each other like the roots of a tree. It was beautiful, even if Keith didn’t know what it was.

He turned, and saw another source of blue light coming from the corner. Or, more accurately, from a small surface that faced him. It only had a few lines of blue light, but it was enough for Keith to spot it across the distance.

After a moment’s hesitation, he stood up on his own two feet again, and let go of the side of the tub. If there was nothing else in the room, that pedestal in the corner must have _ something _ that will explain the situation.

He took slow, careful steps towards the source of the glowing light, calculating every footfall until it felt natural. He let his arms sway loosely by his side, trying to get used to something he felt as though he knew, once. The ground dipped suddenly as he neared the pedestal, and he stumbled, nearly falling to his knees. He staggered a few steps until he got his feet beneath him, and found himself standing right in front of the pedestal.

He shuffled a little closer to the pedestal, stopping when his feet were barely an inch from its side. Nothing seemed to happen for a moment, until the blue glowing surface seemed to come to life, appearing even more vibrant than before. He blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness, and noticed a small hint of orange coming from the center of the exposed surface. Suddenly, the center portion housing the orange light rose, and rotated until it stood perpendicular to its original position. A small rectangular portion inside was flipped, and offered up to him. Keith jerked back, unsure of what it was.

There was more glowing orange on this side of the rectangle, but there was also a large blue glowing eye, the same colour as the other structures in the room. The handle, three triangles above the glowing blue eye, and some lines below it all glowed the same orange, standing out against the brown surface of the object.

“_That _ is a Sheikah Slate.” The voice explained. “Take it. It will help guide you after your long slumber.”

Keith reached for it hesitantly, unsure of what would happen. The voice seemed to know what it was talking about, but he was still unsure about everything. He pulled it out of its holder without any difficulty, almost as though it was waiting for him to take it.

It fit comfortably between his palms as he rotated it around, trying to figure out its purpose. Suddenly, when he looked at the side with no eye on it, it lit up with a startling sound. He nearly dropped it, but managed to hold fast. An eye, with some sort of column shape below it appeared on the screen, just like the one on the other side of the object. He tilted his head, trying to recall any information about the item, but came up empty. He’d never seen the tablet before, although… There was something _ familiar _ about it, even if he couldn’t pinpoint it.

The pedestal whirred to life again, returning to its resting state, and while it did that, a door just beyond it sparked to life. Starting from the middle, it split into several pieces and raised upwards, revealing the exit to the large room he’d been housed in.

He scarcely moved until the door finished moving, clasping the slate tightly in his hands. There was more light coming in through the open doorway, and Keith stepped towards the exit hesitantly, unsure of what to expect.

It was some sort of hallway, with two unlocked chests directly outside the doorway. There were a few crates and barrels as well, but Keith’s gaze drew in on the chests. He placed the Sheikah Slate down on top of one of the barrels, and crouched to open the chest on the right first.

It contained a pair of neatly folded trousers, threadbare in spots, but the material felt comfortable. Hidden under them was a pair of ankle boots, also quite worn down. Keith didn’t mind though; he would feel much better with some clothes on his body and a pair of shoes on his feet.

He quickly stepped into the pants, which were a little short, but still cinched up comfortably on his waist, and slipped the shoes on. A combination of the short pants and short boots showed off a bit of his ankles and the bottom portion of his legs, but he didn’t really care.

In the other unlocked chest, he found a threadbare shirt laying at the bottom, with three belts rolled up neatly beside it. On two of the belts, there were some pouches for holding small items, and some sort of holster. Perhaps for the Sheikah Slate? The third belt was bigger, and looked like it would fit over his back and chest. He felt like it held weapons, but he wasn’t sure how he knew that.

He pulled the shirt on and let it settle over his ribs with a soft sigh. It didn’t quite meet up with the waist of his pants, and had a few rips in it, but it would have to do. Having the material covering his marred skin made him feel more comfortable, more in his own skin than he’d felt since… Waking up.

He tied up the two belts around his waist, cinching them up tight enough that they didn’t feel like they were digging into his hips, but not so loose that they slid down. The holster ended up on his left hip, and once he grabbed the Sheikah Slate from the lid of the barrel, he learned that it did fit in the holster. The final belt he threaded his left arm through, and let it fall into place over his right shoulder, crossing his middle and looping down to his left hip, an inch or so above the Sheikah Slate. He didn’t realize how much having the weight of that belt made him feel more at home in his own skin. It must be something he rarely goes without, even if he can’t remember ever going _ with _ it.

Keith took a glance down at himself and his new clothes. It looked a little rushed and unfitting, but clothes were clothes and he felt better in them than he would have if he’d stayed bare.

On the other side of the chests was a ramp leading down to the lower other portion of the room. There were blue glowing lamp-like objects hanging from the walls, making a pathway to where another door was waiting. To the left of the closed door was another pedestal, exactly like the one in the previous room.

Keith walked down the ramp cautiously, getting the feeling of walking around in shoes. It felt like this was something he knew, once, and didn’t really think about, but he wasn’t sure how that was the case. Everything felt so new, but also, so normal. How was this possible?

There was a weird raised circle on the floor in the middle of the open space. Inside, it had a bunch of weird markings that swirled around and made an intricate design with smaller circles and an interesting border, but Keith couldn’t help but feel like it was missing something… _ What_, he had no idea.

He left it, and finally stepped over to the new pedestal. Once he was standing in front of it, he realized it wasn’t exactly like the one in the other room, the one that gave him the Sheikah Slate in the first place. It was flat, no spinning platforms or place for the slate to rest, only a flat glowing surface that pulsed slightly, like a heartbeat. There were some orange lines making a loose border around the circular surface, and a bright blue circle at the very center. It felt important, even if Keith couldn’t discern why.

“Hold the Sheikah Slate up to the pedestal.” The voice instructed. Keith wasn’t even surprised by the voice anymore. “That will show you the way.”

Following the voice’s instructions, Keith lifted the slate off of his hip, and let one side hover on top of the glowing flat surface. He slowly lowered it, until it came into proximity and made a loud noise. He jerked back, dropping the slate back into its holster and reaching over his back in the same motion, before realizing there was nothing for him to reach for. He focused back on the pedestal, shocked to see the entire front had turned the same blue as the circle at the center.

“_Authenticating_…” An automated voice rang out, with a soft beeping noise following. After a few moments, it spoke again; “Sheikah Slate confirmed.”

As soon as the voice stopped speaking, the circle Keith noticed before and the large symbol at the center of the doorway lit up, glowing a bright blue. The symbol on the door pushed outwards, and the door unlocked, before ascending up into the ceiling above. As the door opened, blinding light rushed into the room, nearly blinding Keith as he stepped to the side to look outwards. The bright golden light was intense, but was starting to fade to a soft blue as the voice that woke him spoke up again.

“Keith… You are the light-- _ our light _ \-- that must shine upon Hyrule once again. Now **go**…”

When the light finally faded away, it revealed a staircase leading up to an open door leading outside. He could see some kind of green plant hanging over the door, blocking a bit of the blue light of the sky.

He wanted to go see what was out there, but he was also confused by the voice’s words. Where was it coming from? How did it know him? Where did he come from, and why was he here? Their conversations had been pretty one-sided, not that Keith offered up any information. He knew he could trust the voice, but, _ how _ did he know that? He had no memories of who the voice belonged to, or of anything, for that matter.

What did it all mean?

He knew he wouldn’t find any answers down here. So, he quickly rushed up the stairs and out of the tunnel. 

As soon as he ran through the doorway, he was met with a breath of fresh air and a whole beautiful world he knew nothing about.

The first things he saw were tall green grass and a bright blue sky, followed by a massive volcano with dark menacing storm clouds circling above its maw. There seemed to be a bit of a lookout directly in front of the cave’s entrance, so he ran out to the edge to survey the land.

Once he reached the edge, he slid to a stop to openly gape at the view.

[[aidenseeyathere's art](https://twitter.com/Aidenseeyathere/status/1252616298309320704)]

It was _ beautiful_.

He had no words for the sight that was in front of him. The sky above him was clear, a blue so beautiful that nothing could taint it’s beauty. The landscape was vast, varying from rolling green hills to blue mountains and tall trees. It just looked so peaceful and wonderful that Keith’s chest tightened, and tears threatened to spill from his eyes. 

There was so much to take in that it was almost overwhelming. His eyes practically glazed over with how much stimulus there was. He just couldn’t get past how beautiful it looked. But, he did focus on the large structure to the north. It was hard not to notice, not due to its size, but because it looked darker and more sinister than everything else around it. He wasn’t sure what that was all about, but he was intrigued by it, and wanted to find out more.

Once he noticed that, he couldn’t help but notice how… _ Empty _the land looked. There were no other people around, aside from himself, as far as he could tell. No visible settlements, no roads, no life… Nothing. Even the big structure in the middle of the land seemed damaged, as if it was merely a shell of its former self. At least, what he assumed its former self would have looked like. He truly had no idea.

When he finally turned from the sight in front of him, his eyes immediately zoned in on movement to the side.

A man, quite aged if the whiteness of his beard was anything to go off of, was watching him. When he saw that Keith had spotted him, he calmly turned and made his way over to a small fire beneath an outcropping of land.

Keith was curious about the man and what he might know. Hopefully _ he _ knew more about the situation than he did. So, he turned and started down the path towards him.

Along the way, his eyes skimmed the rocky wall for the entrance he just emerged from, but he didn’t immediately spot it. He looked a little closer the second time around, squinting between some tall bushes. It wasn’t until he moved closer and pushed some of the long leaves aside that he discovered the doorway again.

It was weird, he couldn’t help but think, that his housing for _ however long _ was so well hidden. He knew it was there only because he came from it. But others? They’d never be able to find it in a hundred years.

Why was it so hidden?

With the question lingering on his mind, he turned and started down towards the man he had seen.

The side of the hill was littered with intermittent stairs, leading all the way down to the bottom of the slope, past where the man was sitting. He seemed to be _ waiting _ for him. Keith wasn’t sure what to make of that, but he neither sped up or slowed down. He continued at his own pace until he found himself at the fireside.

Beside the firelight, an old man sat, clothed in patchwork fabric. A two-tone hood covered his head and partially obscured his face, but his well-kept white beard was on display. He had a walking stick with him, which he used to tend the fire, but there was also an old cracked lantern attached to it. In the firelight, he could see that his blue eyes sparkled with life, and emotions seemed to come naturally to his weathered features.

“Oho ho! Well met, stranger!” The old man sat up a little straighter, and adjusted his walking stick beside him. “It’s rather unusual to see another soul in these parts.”

“Who are you?” Was the first thing to come out of Keith’s mouth. He winced a little at his bluntness.

“Me?” The man questioned. When Keith nodded, he said, “I’ll spare you my life story.”

Keith couldn’t help but think that was ominous, but swiftly decided not to look too far into it.

“I’m just an old fool who’s lived here alone for quite some time now,” the old man continued, and stoked the fire with the end of his walking stick. “What brings a bright-eyed young man like you to a place like this?”

“I’m not exactly sure what this place is.” Keith said, making it sound more like a question than an answer.

The old man seemed to take it as such. “Ah, answering a question with a question,” he said with a gleam in his eyes. “Fair enough. Since I cannot imagine our meeting to be a simple coincidence, I shall tell you.” He settled back into his earlier, more comfortable position, slouching down a bit to take some pressure off of his joints. “This is the Great Plateau,” he explained, gesturing a hand out vaguely to the land around them, “according to legend, this is the birthplace of the entire kingdom of Hyrule.”

Suddenly, he stood up, hardly making use of his walking stick to do so, and stepped out from beneath the cover of the outcropping to gesture towards something to the south. Keith sidestepped as well, looking for the thing he was pointing to.

It didn’t take him long to figure it out. On the other side of the water was a large ruined building, standing tall and elegant in its desolate glory.

“That temple there,” the old man explained, “long ago, it was the site of many sacred ceremonies. Ever since the decline of the kingdom one hundred years ago, it’s sat abandoned in a state of decay. Yet another forgotten entity…” He turned back towards Keith then, and he finally got a good look at his weathered face. There was a distant look in his eyes as he seemed to look beyond him. “A mere ghost of its former self.”

After a moment, he seemed to shake himself of whatever thoughts were plaguing his mind, and his blue eyes brightened again with the light of familiarity. He smiled comfortingly at Keith before moving back towards the fire to sit near its warmth. “I shall be here for quite some time. Please let me know if I may be of service.”

Keith offered him a half smile and a nod before turning his back on him.

Then, he started making his way towards the ruined building.

As he walked along, he noticed the ruins of other buildings leading up to it. They looked smaller than the one the old man pointed out, but it was hard to tell with how little remained.

Just as he started climbing up the stairs towards the temple, the voice from before filtered through his mind again: “Keith,” the voice said, startling him, “head for the point marked on the map in your Sheikah Slate.”

Without thinking too much about it, he did as he was told. He pulled the slate off of his hip and clicked around a bit until he found a screen with a glowing dot on it. It looked like it could be a map, or was at one point, but there was a bunch of data missing, namely, any landmarks like cities and rivers. There was, however, a triangle that could be his own location. When he tried moving a few paces to the right, he discovered the cursor moved as well, following his location in relation to the glowing yellow dot.

So, in following the voice’s instructions, he started making his way towards the location. The person had not led him astray yet, so he had no reason not to trust its words.

It didn’t take long, since the marker on the map wasn’t too far from his location. But when he arrived in front of what he assumed to be the destination, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be seeing. There was _ nothing _ there. Just, a large sudden hill with something pointy sticking out of the top.

He squinted up at the point, trying to decipher why it was there. It didn’t look like much, aside from being different than everything else around it. But when he walked around it a bit, trying to see if it was the same from all sides, he learned it wasn’t.

A large part of the hill had fallen away, revealing what was hidden inside.

There was a platform of sorts, sticking up from the ground. He couldn’t see much of it, since most of it was still encased in compacted dirt, but from what he _ could _ see, it looked circular. His eyes stumbled upon a raised circular pattern in the floor, the same as the one from the place he woke up in. There was also a weird pedestal sticking up out of the dirt wall, just like the one he saw earlier. Although, above it was an unusual structure, looking like it would somehow connect with the pedestal below.

As he approached it, the pedestal lit up in a familiar orange light, and spoke: “Place the Sheikah Slate in the pedestal.” It instructed. He hesitated, looking at it from a few different angles, trying to figure out what made it tick, but quickly gave up the pursuit to follow its instructions.

He took the slate off of his hip, and cautiously lowered it into the cutout. He pulled his hand away quickly and held his breath, waiting to see what would happen.

It took a second, but the platform spun the slate around and lowered it into its surface, seeming to prepare for _ something. _ The Sheikah Slate’s screen lit up suddenly, glowing the same bright orange as the pedestal, before all the light suddenly intensified, startling Keith.

When the light dimmed again, the screen of the slate had turned blue, and the icon there he had come to associate as the background was glowing blue, the same colour he had come to associate with the bed he’d been sleeping in. 

“Sheikah Tower activated.” The automated voice spoke up again. “Please watch for falling rocks.”

Keith jerked back in surprise. _ What does _ ** _that_ ** _ mean? _ No sooner had the words passed through his mind than the ground started to tremble violently beneath him, so much so that he lost his footing and fell flat on his back.

Suddenly, the platform beneath him burst out of the ground, sending hard-packed dirt and debris careening away, rising up and up until it was high above the ground. 

With a groan, Keith got back on his feet, looking around warily. He was _ much _ further off the ground now than he was moments ago, and he could see much more of the land around him. The accents of the tower itself now glowed bright blue, including the raised circular platform behind him. At least now he knew his assumption was correct, that it _ had _ been missing something. It wasn’t activated before, but now it was.

But, activated how?

“Distilling local information…” The automated voice said, startling Keith. He whirled back around to face the pedestal to find the structure above it glowing a bright blue. A single step brought him closer to it so he could see what was happening.

Symbols, perhaps words, flowed down towards the bottom edge of the structure, towards the partial depiction of the eye he’d come to associate with the slate. As more letters flowed, a drop of liquid formed beneath it, growing bigger and bigger until it looked like the completed symbol he knew. But then, the bead of liquid dropped right onto the Sheikah Slate’s screen. It dispersed, some disappearing into the slate, but some of it splattered back towards him. He jerked back to avoid getting splashed.

The pedestal holding the slate had turned the same blue as everything else, rather than the orange it was before. Keith wasn’t exactly sure why that was, but he felt as though it was important, somehow. Then, the center part of the pedestal twisted, and offered the Sheikah Slate back to him, displaying new information.

“Regional map extracted.” On the map, the area surrounding his location was filled in with data. Buildings, lakes, forests, mountains… Everything was laid out plain for him to see. There was even an image of a tower beneath his own icon, as well as something near the center of the filled in area.

When he picked up the slate and tapped on the icon in the middle, a name popped up: ‘_Shrine of Resurrection_’. Keith’s heart skipped a beat at that. _ ‘Resurrection’? What does that mean? _

He swiftly pushed thoughts of that from his mind. He wasn’t sure what to do with that information, so he decided he’d think more about it at a later date.

Once he put the slate back in its holster on his hip, he stepped away from the pedestal to try to find a way down, only for a familiar voice to come to his senses: “Remember…” It whispered, washing over him like gentle waves against the shore. He could have sworn the voice was coming from the north, from the large ominous structure in the distance. He turned to it, and saw a bright light emanating from within. “Try… Try to remember… You have been asleep for the past one hundred years.” 

_ What? _ Keith felt immensely confused by its words. _ How is that even possible? One hundred years? Can I even live that long? And how did this voice know? Was it there the entire time? _

As he made his way towards the edge of the tower, a large rumble shook the ground, hard enough that even the tower beneath his feet felt the tremors. 

“The beast…” The voice sounded tired and weary as a swirling magenta mass started encircling and enshrouding the structure. “When the beast regains its true power, this world will face its end.” 

Suddenly, the light disappeared as a head emerged from the mass. Keith was too far away to clearly see what it was, but the head of the swirling magenta was hostile, calamitous, hateful, easy to read even over the distance. As it swirled around the settlement, fear slowly frosted his veins, and ice-cold dread made his stomach drop through his feet. The sight of that _ thing _ terrified him. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that.

The beast threw its ugly head back and let out a bestial roar, loud enough to rattle Keith’s bones. Before the beast could do more, the gold light from before shone through, dispersing the head and some of the magenta calamity. But, before the head disappeared completely, it turned to face Keith’s direction just long enough for molten gold eyes, burning with hate to stare directly at him.

He couldn’t help but feel as though the beast were daring him to come after it.

“Now then,” the voice continued softly, “you must hurry, Keith… _ Before it’s too late_.” The light from the structure dimmed out until it was gone, taking most of the magenta fog with it. It left the structure looking hollow and empty, just as dark and mysterious as it did before.

After the voice quieted again, Keith stood there for a minute, reflecting on what he just learned. _ I’ve been asleep for one hundred years? Who was I back then? Why can’t I remember anything? _

_ What happened to me?? _

With no way to find out the answers to any of his questions, he started looking for a way to leave the tower. It frustrated him a little, not knowing anything about himself or the world around him, but there wasn’t much he could do. So he tried to focus on what he _ could _ do; find a way to get his feet on the ground again.

There was a hole in the floor, that when he peered down it, he could see a platform a short jump down. With no other course in mind, he jumped down to see what he could make of it. He quickly discovered more platforms, circling down the length of the tower that could be used as large stairs to get up or down, so as quickly but carefully as he was able, he descended.

As soon as his feet touched ground, the same old man from before seemed to come out of nowhere, gliding down on some _ thing. _ “My, my… It would seem we have quite the enigma here. This tower,” he gestured with his staff to the tower Keith just climbed down, “and others just like it have erupted across the land, one after another. It is almost as though… A long-dormant power has awoken quite suddenly.

“If you do not mind my asking,” the old man continued hesitantly, “did anything… _ Odd _ occur while you were atop the tower?”

“I heard a voice,” Keith replied. There was no reason not to tell the man the truth.

“Well now!” The man exclaimed. “A voice, you say? Did you happen to recognize this mysterious voice?”

Keith shook his head. “No.”

“I see. Well, that is unfortunate,” the old man said sadly. Then, he turned and pointed towards the structure in the distance. “I assume you caught sight of that _ atrocity _ enshrouding the castle?”

“I did,” Keith nodded, and turned to face the castle in the distance.

“That… is the Calamity.” The man explained. “One hundred years ago, that vile entity brought the kingdom of Hyrule to ruin.” He sounded sombre when he said this. “It appeared suddenly and destroyed everything in its path. So many innocent lives were lost in its wake…

“For a century, the very symbol of our kingdom, Hyrule Castle, has managed to contain that evil.” The lantern on his staff creaked gently in the breeze as he spoke. “But just barely. There it festers, building its strength for the moment it will unleash its blight upon the land once again. It would appear that moment is fast approaching…”

The man adjusted his walking stick so he could rest his forearm against it, looking over to Keith with a curious look in his eyes. “I must ask you, courageous one… Do you intend to make your way to the castle?”

“I do,” Keith immediately replied. He wasn’t sure why, but he knew deep down that this was something he had to do.

“I had a feeling you would say that,” the old man chuckled. “Here, on this isolated plateau, we are surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs, with no way down. If you were to try to jump off, well… No death could be more certain. Or more foolish. Of course, if you had a paraglider like mine, that would be quite another story.”

“Paraglider?” Keith questioned.

“Oho!” The man smiled. “Piqued your interest, have I? Yes, I didn’t come soaring down here on my own feathery wings, you know! Worry not-- I will happily give you my paraglider. But not for nothing.”

_ Of course not, _ Keith thought to himself, _ nothing in this world is for free. _ As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he wasn’t sure where it came from. It was like he knew this, fundamentally, but he _ didn’t _ really know it.

The man hummed, trying to think of a suitable exchange. “How about I trade it for a bit of treasure that slumbers nearby? Come, let me show you something.” With that, he started ahead.

Keith followed him without question, a few steps behind him as the old man led the way. He scarcely used his walking stick, making Keith wonder why he kept it. Was it more of a prop than a tool?

After about twenty paces, leading up a small hill, the man stopped at the crest, looking out over a large pond. But beyond that was a structure, highlighted by a glowing orange emanating from within.

“Do you see that structure there?” The man used his walking stick to point to the building. “The one shining with a strange light? It began glowing at the exact moment those towers rose up from the ground. I would think such a place might house some sort of treasure, wouldn’t you?”

Keith shrugged slightly, mostly to himself. _ That would make sense. _

“Treasure for the paraglider,” the man offered. “A fair exchange, I believe.”

“Fair enough,” Keith agreed. And with that, he made his way over towards the structure.

He had to skirt around the large pond, taking him on a less direct approach to the building, but it gave him time to survey. There were fish near the waters’ edge, easily visible in the crystal clear water. They had green bodies and orange fins, but he paid them no further mind. He also couldn’t help but notice strange pillars protruding from the water, partially crumbling into the depths below. And there were even strange figures littering the area, some with long spindly legs, others just husks of their bodies. He had no idea what they were, but there were enough of them to take notice.

At one point where the water met the grass, Keith noticed a set of stairs leaving the water, curling up the hill towards the temple the old man pointed out earlier. He thought it was odd, why were there stairs leading down into the water? What sort of purpose did they serve? Not knowing the answer, he carried on towards the building with a shrug.

The structure itself was not very large, but it seemed to stick out from the landscape surrounding it. The material it was made from did not seem of the earth, nothing that Keith could ever recall seeing. Between the crevices in the door’s archway, orange light filtered through, highlighting the odd shape of it.

As he finally neared its side, his gaze was immediately drawn to a design laid before a familiar looking pedestal. Just like in the Shrine of Resurrection, the pedestal was lit up in orange with a blue dot at the center, waiting to be activated.

So he put the Sheikah Slate up to the pedestal, just as he did before. The pedestal lit up in a familiar blue, and the automated voice said, “Sheikah Slate confirmed.”

With a whirring hum, the platform behind him lit up suddenly, and Keith turned to see the raised circular pattern glowing bright blue. “Travel gate registered to map. Access granted.” Then, the door behind him folded in on itself, revealing some sort of moving platform.

Keith stepped inside cautiously, taking in every detail of the newly exposed room. But nothing seemed out of sorts, so he stepped on the glowing platform.

And was lowered down into the depths.

* * *

As soon as he stepped back into the sunlight with a weapon and shield slung on his back, the old man crossed into his line of sight with a sparkle in his eyes. “It seems you managed to get your hands on some treasure,” the old man said. “Well done!”

“How did you know?!” Keith asked incredulously.

“Clairvoyance!” Was the old man’s immediate response. But he was quick to chuckle at his own joke. “Or perhaps just something similar. As one gets older, it can become more difficult to see what is right in front of one’s own eyes…”

Keith couldn’t help but notice that the old man seemed sad as he said this, like there was more truth he was hiding behind the words. But he dismissed it when the man spoke again; “However, that which was once hidden from view can often be crystal clear. But perhaps that is not true for everyone!” The man chuckled fondly.

“The appearance of those towers and the awakening of this shrine…” The old man mused softly, eyes narrowing in down on the device on Keith’s hip. “It is all connected to that Sheikah Slate you carry there on your hip.”

“What do you mean?” Keith asked, glancing down at the Slate.

“It has been quite some time since I have seen that Sheikah Slate,” the old man began. “Long ago, a highly advanced tribe known as the Sheikah inhabited these lands. The great power of their wisdom saved this kingdom time and time again. But their ancient technology disappeared long ago… Or so it is said.

“It is interesting, however, to think…” The old man mused. “How something like that survived all this time, hidden away in a shrine. These shrines are tucked away in numerous places all across this land. On this plateau alone, I believe there are still three more. Bring me the treasure from each of those shrines… And I will give you my paraglider.”

“That wasn’t the deal!” Keith exclaimed, something dark bubbling at the bottom of his chest. _ Frustration, _ his mind provided. How, he did not know.

“Well, I suppose I changed my mind.” The old man said cheekily. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem for a young go-getter like you!” And with that, he turned and left Keith standing there, walking off towards the forest.

Keith gave himself a moment to feel frustrated with the old man’s antics before breathing out a calming breath and trying to come up with a game plan. If there were three more shrines on this plateau, he’d have to figure out a way to scope them all out before going on some wild goose chase.

He’d have to get a good high viewpoint.

With a groan, he realized the best spot would be the tower. The tower that he’d just climbed down. With how tall it stood, he wasn’t positive how far away it was, so he pulled up the map function on the Sheikah Slate. He tapped on the map a few times, trying to zoom in on the tower, but he accidentally clicked it and clicked the option that came up. Before he knew it, he was helpless to watch as his body was pulled apart and moved across time and space.

When he rematerialized, he found himself on top of the tower. He gasped and fell to his knees, gripping frantically at his chest while the Sheikah Slate clattered to the ground. _ What the fuck just happened? _ He peered down at himself with wide eyes, making sure everything was still intact. Still had ten fingers attached to two arms, two ears, a nose, a torso, and two legs. Somehow. Miraculously?

“Oho ho!”

Keith whirled around to find the old man watching him from off to the side, leaning against his walking stick like everything was fine and dandy. _ What the fuck?? _

“I’m surprised it took you so long to catch up with an old man like me!”

“H-How did you…?” Keith asked incredulously, picking up the slate from where he’d let it drop to the ground.

The old man chuckled heartily. “Leave an old man his secrets,” he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Now then… This is as good a place as any for you to search for shrines. I’m glad you’re discovering more secrets about your Sheikah Slate there.”

Keith fiddled with the slate in his hands, staring down at the map function curiously. “I’m not even really sure what happened.”

“The technology of the Sheikah surpasses even our greatest hopes and wishes,” the man mused, lantern creaking on his walking stick as he adjusted his weight. “Teleportation is something that will be highly useful to you, should you choose to use it.”

“How do you know?” Keith asked.

“Experience, wisdom… instinct?” The old man answered cautiously. “Call it what you will and believe it only if you so please.”

“...Okay?” Keith said hesitantly. He wasn’t sure what _ that _ meant, but whatever.

As he cast a look around from his new high vantage point, he could see the bright light of a shrine in the distance, up on an elevated piece of land to the south. There was also one tucked into some ruins, and another surrounded by snow on one of the highest parts of the land on the plateau.

A quick glance at his map told him the closest one, the shrine enveloped in ruins, was in a place called the Eastern Abbey.

Keith knew where he had to go.

* * *

The trek to the abbey was quiet, for the most part. Some skeletal figures popped up out of the ground at one point, but with a quick slash of his weapon, they were disposed of. He’d taken the most direct path from the tower, cutting through tall grass and climbing steep hills until he saw the top of it peeking out of some ruins not far off.

It wasn’t until he entered the area that he realized something was off.

In some shallow water near the outskirts of the ruins, he noticed a large sculpture-looking _ thing _ with moss and ivy growing up its body. He’d seen others like it in the water by the tower. Despite nature having claimed it, it seemed like it didn’t belong there. It had the same sort of markings as the shrines, but it felt more… _ Ominous. _ He couldn’t explain it, but he felt uneasy staring the thing down.

As he made his way past it, he spared a glance back at it over his shoulder, wondering what it could be. It certainly didn’t seem to belong, but he wasn’t sure why he felt that way.

He could still see the top of the shrine on the other side of some ruined walls, so he made his way through the tall grass to get to it. Some remains of broken arches marked his path, so he continued on to the shrine.

Just as he turned the corner, he noticed another one of those things in the center of the area. There seemed to be a lot of them here, more than he’d thought. Well, considering he had no idea what they were, he guessed he couldn’t count on them either being around or not. The shrine was just over a wall on the other side of the space.

Suddenly, Keith noticed a blip of red from the corner of his eye, and whipped around to see that _ thing _ staring him down, an ominous beeping emanating from its core. His stomach fell through his feet at the sight, and he froze up, stuck in place as the thing stared him down.

But when a bright red target landed on his chest, his feet moved faster than his head, and he was around the corner before he realized what was happening. As his back hit the ruined wall separating them, all he could hear was his heartbeat in his ears. It was beating so loudly that he couldn’t even hear himself breathe, let alone think.

He tried to breathe in a deep breath, only to find that he couldn’t. Quick, short breaths were all he could manage, and he was helpless to watch as his chest heaved with exertion. When he lifted his hand to brush his hair back from his eyes, he noticed how hard his hand shook. How _ both _ of his hands shook. He leaned more heavily against the wall until his knees couldn’t support his weight anymore, and he slid down until he was sitting on the ground with his back against the cold crumbling stone.

It was too much, he couldn’t breathe, and he didn’t know why he felt this way. _ That _ certainly didn’t help. He leaned forwards until his head was clutched between his knees, and he fought to regain control over his breathing.

Eventually, it worked. His heart stopped racing in his ears, his breathing shallowed out to normalcy again, and he stopped shaking. He breathed out a sigh of relief and got to his feet, still leaning against the wall for support.

_ What the hell just happened? _ Keith had no idea. The sight of that _ thing _ caused him to go into such a panic that he fled. Despite the panic, he also felt shame, but _ why _ he couldn’t describe. Was this something he wasn’t supposed to do?  
  


He took a chance and peeked around the corner, hoping the beeping-murder-death thing wasn’t still looking for him. Just his luck, as soon as he peeked around the corner, the beeping started up again, so he retreated behind the wall again.

With a sigh, he started looking for another way to enter the shrine. He wasn’t gonna risk trying to get past that thing.

* * *

To get to the third shrine, he had to scale the side of a tall cliff. He picked each of his hand and footholds carefully, not wishing to fall to a surely very painful death, and that took him a good portion of the day. When he’d started climbing, the sun was above his head, but by the time he got to the top, it was more than half dipped beyond the horizon.

The shrine itself hadn’t taken him long, but it was dark by the time he emerged from its depths. And when he’d started trekking towards the final shrine, he had to turn back because the white powder on the ground bit at his ankles and the cold nipped uncomfortably at his exposed upper body. He’d felt extremely uncomfortable in the cold, as if his body was just not made to handle it.

While searching new locations on the lower parts of the plateau through the night, he discovered an old abandoned shack near the cliff housing the third shrine. Inside were some barrels of preserved food, a table and chairs, and a bed. Despite the late hour, easily halfway through the night, if not just before dawn, Keith wasn’t tired. He knew he should be, but at the same time, apparently he’d slept for a hundred years. That had to count for something.

Inside the shack, he also discovered a thick looking tunic that he could use to keep warm on the trek to the final shrine. He took the tunic and threw it over his head, letting it settle against his chest. It was warm, fortunately, albeit a little big. His shoulders were narrower than those on the shirt, the arms too long, and it generally hung loose on his frame, but it would do to fight the cold.

So he took it and teleported to the shrine he just completed to make his way through the snow towards the fourth and final shrine. Then he’d get the paraglider from the old man, so he could leave the plateau and finally get some answers.

Well, not necessarily in that order.

* * *

As soon as Keith stepped out of the fourth and final shrine, a voice called out to him, stopping him in his tracks.

He looked up just in time to see the old man floating down from above with his paraglider. He landed with a graceful _ thud _ on the snow, boots scarcely making a sound. As he turned to face him, Keith couldn’t help but notice that his face seemed to have a blue tint to it. Perhaps it was reflected off the snow in the late afternoon light.

“With this, you have now acquired all of the treasure from the shrines on this plateau,” the old man explained. “Extraordinary! That means… it is finally time.”

“Time?” Keith parroted. “Time for what?”

“Keith, it is finally time for me to tell you everything.” As the old man said this, his face seemed to change, flicker a little beneath the shadow of his hood. Keith realized that the blue light seemed to be coming _ from _ him, not reflected onto him. “But first,” the old man continued, and turned to gesture down the slope, “meet me at the place where sacred ceremonies were held in days of old. I shall wait for you there.”

As he turned back to face Keith once more, blue flames appeared around him, obscuring his figure. Keith jerked, unsure of what was happening. “Do you understand?” The man asked, his face seeming to shift from the one Keith had come to know. “The Temple of Time… There… I will… be waiting…” And then, he was gone.

Keith stared incredulously at the spot the old man stood moments before. He was just-- _ gone. _ Like he was never really there at all. There weren’t even footprints in the snow. Keith had so many questions that he didn’t even know where to begin.

But he knew that standing here wouldn’t give him any answers he sought. So, he pulled the Sheikah Slate off of his hip and pulled up the map, selecting the Shrine of Resurrection to warp to.

He’d warped a few times now, but he still hadn’t gotten used to the feeling of it. How his stomach seemed to compress and expand at the same time. How the lights practically blinded him, even behind his eyelids. How currents ran through his entire body, electrifying him in a strange way. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever get used to it, but only time would tell. A quick glance down his body confirmed he still had all his limbs, _ this time. _

As soon as he checked himself, he took a look around the Shrine of Resurrection. He couldn’t help but feel odd about being back in the place. It wasn’t a _ bad _ feeling exactly, but it wasn’t a good feeling either. He just wasn’t sure what to make of it.

So he left it all behind him on his path to go see the old man at the Temple of Time.

The sun was starting to dip below the horizon as he made his way down the hill, just as he had yesterday. He didn’t know much more now, but he had a goal in mind, which made a world of difference. Whatever the old man was going to tell him would surely lead to some answers about himself. Hopefully. He seemed to know more about Keith than he was letting on. _ How _ he wasn’t sure, he couldn’t recall ever seeing that man in his life, but… Keith couldn’t trust his own mind right now.

He’d spent much of his time traversing across the plateau trying to remember something, _ anything _ about himself that he wasn’t told. So far, he knew his name (_that a strange voice had told him_), where he was (_the old man had informed him_), and that he was supposedly the _ ‘light of Hyrule’_, whatever that meant. He’d managed to surmise that he was trained with various weapons, as he was able to make use of anything he’d picked up during his travels with ease. Swords in particular seemed to fit especially well in his hands. And it didn’t matter which hand he wielded a weapon in, he seemed just as adept with both sides. 

But all those tidbits weren’t enough. _ Who am I? Where did I come from? How did I get these scars on my body? Why does it feel like there is a weight missing from my back? Why did I wake up in the Shrine of Resurrection? How did I get there in the first place? Who was the voice in my head? Who was that old man? How was everything connected, if at all? _

He sincerely hoped the old man would be able to answer some of his questions.

The Temple of Time stood tall at the top of the hill of temples, all ruined beyond repair. The doors to the building were gone, decayed or somehow destroyed, he wasn’t sure. The central pillar stood taller than the others, practically reaching to the sky. But one of the two side towers had been completely decimated by _ something, _ he wasn’t sure what or how. It laid crumbled down to the foundations on the left side. Ivy trailed as high as it could before spiralling down again, hiding most of the grey stonework beneath. Only bits of the glass in the windows remained, mostly near the top of the structure. There were more of those _ things _ here, the same husks from back in the ruined area by the shrine, but none of them came to life, luckily. He wasn’t sure how he’d be able to handle that again.

For what seemed to be the millionth time, Keith wondered what the hell happened here. He wasn’t sure why, but every time he blinked, in his mind’s eye he saw the building in its original magnificent glory. Perhaps it was just his head filling in the blanks of what could be, but he wasn’t convinced of that. Why did he see it clearly, with such certainty but just out of reach?

He shook the thought from his head. There was no use thinking of that now. This was just a building, after all, and he had come here for a reason.

As soon as he stepped through the massive doorway, he felt small and insignificant in its beautifully ruined splendour. Somehow, though, he also felt awed by the place. Grass and moss had overtaken most of the floor of the temple, but pearlescent marble tiles still shone through in patches. Large portions of the ceiling had fallen through, smashed to bits on the unforgiving ground, lighting up the room with the bold sunset colours.

Keith had barely taken a few steps into the main room of the temple when he stumbled over something. With a soft muttered curse (_something else that felt oddly natural_), he looked down to see the culprit. Lying in his path was a series of broken stones, appearing to once have been part of something larger. It wasn’t the roof-- couldn’t be, it wasn't the same colour-- and some of the stones seemed to have writing on them. Flowers laid nearby, cut and laid to dry on raised slabs of stone, which Keith couldn’t help but think was curious.

His eyes then moved across the room and landed on a large statue at the far end, seemingly untouched by time and its toll on everything. It appeared to be a depiction of an angel or a goddess, standing tall with rounded wings. She gazed down benevolently at those who approached her, with hands clasped artfully over her chest. As he approached it, he noticed a series of smaller statues around her, facing outwards, as if guarding her. Wildflowers grew at their feet, flourishing in the presence of the godly depictions.

He wasn’t sure what to do here. On one hand, he felt as though the people who stepped into her presence came to pray, but… He didn’t think that was the kind of thing he did. He wasn’t sure what he would even pray for, anyways. Answers? Were gods and goddesses even in the business of actually giving answers to anything?

Keith scoffed softly under his breath and turned away from the depiction of the goddess, only to be startled by the old man’s signature laugh coming from somewhere. He looked around frantically, searching for the source of the noise, only to find him up in the tallest portion of the tower.

He made his way out of the building through a large hole in the wall, trying to figure out how to get up there, only to notice a ladder about halfway down the wall’s length, not too far from the tall spire. He quickly made his way up the side, and scampered along slick roof tiles until he was standing face to face with the man.

“Well done there, young one!” The old man laughed heartily. Blue flames flickered around him, but somehow they didn’t feel threatening. Almost as though they were a part of him. “Now then… The time has come to show you who I truly am.

“I was King Alfor Octavius Hyrule. I was… the last leader of Hyrule. A kingdom which no longer exists.” With a bright flash of blue, the old man Keith had come to know vanished before his very eyes, changing into a regal figure donning black, blue and white. His hood was replaced with a magnificent crown, sitting firmly above his brow like it always belonged there. There were even more flames dancing around him now, making his blue eyes brighten and sparkle.

When Keith noticed that the king’s feet were hovering above the ground, he stumbled back a step in shock.

“The Great Calamity was merciless,” the king explained, “devastated everything in its path to ashes a century ago. It was then that my life was taken away from me.” He looked to the ground when he said this, regret and wistfulness visible in his eyes. “And since that time, here I have remained, in spirit form.”

King Alfor turned away and floated over to the broken window, looking out over the land below. “I did not think it wise to overwhelm you while your memory was still fragile. So I thought it best to assume a temporary form.” He cast a quick look back over his shoulder and apologized to him. “However, I think you are now ready.”

“Ready?” Keith questioned, and made his way over to the king’s side, looking out over the land as well.

“Ready to hear what happened one hundred years ago.” King Alfor pointed towards the castle, towards the malicious mass swirling around it, enshrouding it in its shadow. “To know the Calamity’s true form, one must know the story from an age long past.

“The demon king was born into this kingdom, but his transformation into Malice created the horror you see now,” the king began. “Stories of the beast were passed from generation to generation in the form of legends and fairy tales.” The way he said it made Keith think that the king had been rehearsing this speech for a long time. “But there was also… a prophecy. ‘The Calamity’s return looms. Seek out the relics from an age past to find the answers that you seek.’ We decided to heed the prophecy and began excavating large areas of land. It wasn’t long before we discovered several ancient relics made by the hands of our distant ancestors.

“These relics, the Divine Beasts, were giant machines piloted by warriors.” King Alfor continued. “We also found the Guardians, an army of mechanical soldiers who fought autonomously. This coincided with the ancient legends often repeated throughout our land. We also learned of a princess with a sacred power and her appointed knight, chosen by _the_ _sword that seals the darkness._ It was they who sealed the Calamity away using the power of these ancient relics. One hundred years ago, however, there was a prince set to inherit a sacred power, with a skilled knight at his side.

“It was clear that we must follow our ancestors’ path,” the king explained. “We selected four skilled individuals from across Hyrule and tasked them with the duty of piloting the Divine Beasts. With the prince as their commander, we dubbed these pilots Champions-- a name that would solidify their unique bond. The prince, his appointed knight, and the rest of the Champions were on the brink of sealing the Calamity away… But no.” King Alfor’s face hardened as he said this. “That beast was cunning, and he responded with a plan beyond our imagining.

“He appeared from deep below Hyrule Castle, seized control of the Guardians and the Divine Beasts, and turned them against us.” The king’s shoulders slumped as he spoke. “The Champions lost their lives. Those residing in the castle as well. The appointed knight, gravely wounded, collapsed while defending the prince… And so, the kingdom of Hyrule was devastated absolutely by the Calamity.

“However… The prince survived… to face the beast alone.”

The same voice from before echoed in Keith’s head: _ “Keith… You are our final hope. The fate of Hyrule rests with you."_

“Wait…” Keith whispered, mind reeling with all the information he just learned. “You mean--?”

“That prince was my own son… My dear Lance.” King Alfor said mournfully. “And the courageous knight who protected him right up to the very end…” He turned slowly, powerfully, fixing Keith with a look that rooted him to the spot. “That knight was none other than you, Keith.”

Keith had started to get that idea himself from the king’s story, but still, hearing him confirm it shocked Keith to his core. “Me? Wh… _ How?_”

“You fought valiantly when your fate took an unfortunate turn,” the king said solemnly. “Then, you were brought to the Shrine of Resurrection. Here you now stand, revitalized, a hundred years later.”

Keith was starting to feel numb from the sheer onslaught of information King Alfor was giving him. _ Revitalized? How? Has it truly been a hundred years? How do I not remember any of this? Was I truly the knight at the prince’s side? Why can’t I remember the face of my charge? How could this all be true? _

Yet, without having even a shred of his own information, Keith knew it to be true. Somehow, he did.

“The words of guidance you have been hearing since your awakening are from Prince Lance himself.” King Alfor continued. “Even now, as he works to restrain the Calamity from within Hyrule Castle, he calls out for your help. However, my son’s power will soon be exhausted. Once that happens, the beast will freely regenerate himself, and nothing will stop him from consuming our land.”

The king’s brows pinched together suddenly, his fists clenched, and he looked pained as he said, “Considering that I could not save my own kingdom, and how I treated you and my son all those years ago, I have no right to ask this of you, Keith… But I am _ powerless _ here… 

“You must save him… My son. And do _ whatever _ it takes to annihilate that beast.” A tiny blue ember flew past King Alfor’s face, making his expression glow with anger and anguish. “Somehow, the Calamity has maintained control over all four Divine Beasts, as well as those Guardians swarming around Hyrule Castle.”

The king turned back to the window, looking out toward the castle as he said, “I believe it would be quite reckless for you to head directly to the castle at this point. Instead, I suggest that you make your way east, out to one of the villages in the wilderness.” He stepped to the side a few steps to point out toward a split mountain in the distance. “Follow the road out to Kakariko Village. There you will find the elder, Kolivan. He will tell you more about the path that lies ahead. Make your way past the twin summits of the Dueling Peaks, then follow the road as it proceeds north…”

In the fading light, the twin peaks stood high above the land surrounding them, casting long shadows on the forest below. Keith couldn’t help but think that the peaks looked like something had run through them, separating one mountain into two. What sort of thing could do that, he wasn’t sure, but looking at the way the peaks lined up, it made the most sense.

“Now then,” King Alfor spoke up, “as promised, here’s the paraglider.” From thin air, the paraglider appeared, folded neatly in on itself. Keith took it gratefully. “With this, you will be able to safely fly off the cliffs surrounding this area,” the king said. “And… I think that’s it. I’ve told you everything I can. Keith…”

Suddenly, just like before, the king started to disappear right before Keith’s eyes. “You must save Hyrule…” The king said, voice fading as he disappeared. With him, the blue flames flickered out until they too disappeared completely.

The paraglider in his hands seemed to get heavier as everything crashed down around him. He’d come up here hoping to get answers, and despite getting some, he had even more questions now. _How is this all possible? Am I really the chosen knight from one hundred years ago? How am I still alive? Who am I, really? Did I nearly die at the hands of these corrupted Guardians? Was that why I was so terrified of their long-dead husks?_ **_Why me?_**

Well, there was nobody left here to give him answers. So he opened the wings of his new paraglider, stepped up to the edge, breathed in a deep breath…

And jumped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of WoW! I will be working on this as often as I can, but I move in about a week and still have some exams left, so we'll see how productive I am, hehe.
> 
> Next chapter will basically feature Woodkid's "Run Boy Run" at the beginning, followed by some more mellow music as Keith figures out his own path. Some loveable characters from the game will be making their debut in this fic, and Keith will finally see some friendly faces!
> 
> 'Till next time! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the current end of WoW! Susan and I are working very hard to make this story as amazing as possible, and that takes time. Between me making time between classes and work to _write_ the story, and passing it off to Susan to do art... Working on this masterpiece takes time. But don't despair! You can keep up-to-date with our progress on this story on our social medias!
> 
> You can find me on [tumblr](https://winter-and-little-brunettes.tumblr.com/), [twitter](https://twitter.com/winternbrunett5), and [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/winterandlittlebrunettes/)! And you can find Susan on [tumblr](https://forsakenangel88-art.tumblr.com/), [twitter](https://twitter.com/ForsakeAngel88), and [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/forsakenangel88/)!


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